Retrieval inhibition in episodic recall
نویسنده
چکیده
Episodic forgetting can arise in a number of different situations. Recall of target material can be impaired if additional material is learned (interference), related information is repeatedly retrieved (retrieval-induced forgetting), or an instruction to intentionally forget the target material is provided (directed forgetting). The question arises which mechanisms underlie these different forms of forgetting and how they affect the binding of items and cues. We report results from experiments in which response latency analysis was used to distinguish between different forgetting mechanisms. The results suggest that interference is due to enhanced competition, whereas retrieval-induced forgetting and directed forgetting are mediated by a form of retrieval inhibition in which the binding between items and their cues is weakened. Furthermore, in both retrieval-induced forgetting and directed forgetting, the weakening could not be reduced by a repeated testing procedure, indicating that the inhibition is stable and long-lasting. We also studied the developmental course of episodic forgetting. Whereas children and adults showed similar susceptibility to interference and also similar effects of retrieval-induced forgetting, a developmental difference was found in directed forgetting. Mature directed forgetting was present only in adults and older children but not in younger children.
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